This distillery needs no introduction, nor does the dram itself. As soon as you pop the cork on this bottle, the story tells itself. The same can be said about the man who I got the sample of this magnificent Laphroaig 25 (2015) Cask Strength from. (Not the popping the cork bit ofcourse, but that his story tells itself). Peter Linting, or to some of you better known as Whisky Peater gifted me this amazing dram, for which I will be eternally grateful!
When it comes to the whisky, I’m going to let the tasting notes speak for themselves. But what about the man from who I got the dram. Why is he considered legendary in my book? Well, for one he’s one part of my favourite blog writing duo the Dutch Whisky Brothers. For another, he is one of the 23 from legendary bottler Klubb23. He has one of the biggest Dutch whisky channels on Tik Tok (which I will admit to not being on myself though), and he’s a brand ambassador for some of my favourite indie bottlers. But above all, he’s the absolute nicest guy you’ll ever meet!
So, make sure to look him up on whichever social platform you prefer, and give him a follow! And be sure to check out the Dutch Whisky Brothers blog as well.
Tasting Notes: Laphroaig 25 Cask Strength Edition (2015)
Stats:
Distillery: Laphroaig
Age: 25 years old
ABV: 46,8 %
Natural Colour: Yes
Chill-filtered: No
Nose:
Nosing this dram immediately puts my in a nostalgic frame of mind. As soon as I opened my sample the room filled with luscious amounts of musk, old leather, oiled victorian wood, and the smell of embers from a smoldering campfire. And I haven’t even brought my nose to the glass… Once I dive deeper in I’m also picking up notes of seared tenderloin, rich manuka honey, and a very delicate brine. Warm caramel and old cigar boxes pop their head up too. It’s like everytime I go back to the glass I’m finding new aroma’s.
Palate:
After letting the dram sit for approximately 25 minutes (a year in the glass, a minute in the glass) I’m diving in… and I’m immediately finding more peat than I was expecting from a 25 year old. Older peated drams tend to mellow out a lot of the peat, but on the palate of this Laphroaig 25, it’s still very much that classic Islay flavour from the distillery that I love. But it’s absolutely not a punch in the face anymore, instead it’s become a beautiful harmony. Dark tones of tar, iodine, seared beef and smoked seaweed beautifully intertwine with luscious vanilla, honey, and tropical fruits such as pineapple and mango. With a lovely bit of pepper as well. Some candied lemon peel and an almost waxy mouthfeel reminiscent of a good Clynelish round the palate of this dram of perfectly.
Finish:
Glory be, the finish is long. As this is one I want to savour for a very very long time. Some coconut shavings show up for the first time here, paired with a little bit of molasses and roasted chestnut. Other than that it’s a beautiful continuation from the palate. With more honey, vanilla, iodine, mango, and an elegent bit of tar to cherish for as long as it lingers.
Verdict:
I don’t give ratings anymore on my posts, because I believe that they show too much of a personal preference and I find it harder to be objective when using ratings. Instead I focus on the tasting notes and do give a verdict of whether I liked it or not. But for this dram… I couldn’t stay unbiased even in the verdict. This is so perfectly up my alley. This is a dram that fits what I personally like, like a glove. This… is pure gold. If dreams could be drams, than this dram is a dream come true!
